Improved Liveability
For people with sensory, intellectual or cognitive impairment. Emphasises good lighting, clear lines of sight and easy wayfinding rather than heavy engineering.
NDIS support
Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA)
Purpose-built, accessible housing in Adelaide for participants with extreme functional impairment or very high support needs.
What’s included
Accessible homes designed for independence
Specialist Disability Accommodation is housing, not support. It funds a dwelling that has been built or modified so that living there is genuinely possible — ceiling hoists, wider doorways, reinforced walls, level access, assistive technology built into the fabric of the building.
SDA is a small part of the scheme. It is intended for roughly the six per cent of participants whose housing itself is a barrier, and eligibility is assessed carefully. We support participants in SDA homes across Adelaide and wider South Australia.
- Accessible designHomes built to meet mobility and accessibility needs
- High supportFor participants requiring significant assistance
- Independent livingPromotes autonomy while keeping care close by
- Shared arrangementsOptions for social connection and community
- Safe environmentSecure, comfortable and inclusive homes
- Tailored supportIndividualised care plans for each resident
How we work
A building is only half of it
An accessible house with the wrong support in it is still the wrong home. What makes SDA work is the fit between the dwelling, the people living there and the team who turn up each day.
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The right design category
A Robust build and a High Physical Support build solve different problems. Matching the category to the person matters more than the postcode.
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Housemates chosen carefully
In shared SDA you may live with the same people for years. We would rather hold a vacancy than create a household that does not work.
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Equipment that actually works
Hoists, beds and assistive technology checked, maintained and understood by the team, not left as someone else’s responsibility.
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Overnight support planned properly
High physical support needs do not pause at night. Sleepover and active night arrangements are staffed by people who know the house.
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Clear on what you pay
Your rent contribution, what SDA covers and what it does not — written down before you move, not discovered afterwards.
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It is your home
Visitors when you want them, your own furniture, your own routines. Specialist housing should not feel like an institution.
Design categories
The four kinds of SDA
SDA is funded against a design category, and the category decides which properties you are eligible to live in. Getting it right at assessment matters.
Fully Accessible
Built for significant physical impairment — step-free access throughout, wider doors and corridors, and accessible bathrooms and kitchens.
Robust
A resilient environment: durable materials, impact-resistant fittings, and careful attention to sightlines, exits and neighbour amenity.
High Physical Support
The most specified category — structural ceiling hoist provision, backup power, emergency systems and provision for assistive technology.
The practical part
How SDA funding works
SDA is the one NDIS support that pays for bricks. The payment goes to whoever owns the dwelling, and you contribute rent from your own income on top of it.
The amount is set by the SDA Price Limits, which vary by design category, building type — apartment, villa, house, group home — location, and whether there is an on-site overnight assistance room.
On top of the NDIS payment you pay a Reasonable Rent Contribution, generally around 25 per cent of the Disability Support Pension plus any Commonwealth Rent Assistance you receive. It works much like rent anywhere else.
If home modifications to your existing home would meet your needs, the NDIA will generally fund those instead. SDA is for situations where modification is not a realistic answer.
What the NDIA looks for
- Extreme functional impairment in mobility, self-care or self-management, or very high support needs
- Evidence that no other housing option is suitable, including whether modifications would solve it more cheaply
- A housing goal in your plan, supported by allied health evidence
- An occupational therapist’s housing assessment, which is usually central to the decision
- SDA does not pay for your support workers. That is funded separately, usually through SIL, and the two are assessed independently.
Choosing between them
SDA, SIL or ILO — which one do you need?
Most people in SDA also receive SIL. They are separate funding streams answering separate questions, and it is common to need both.
SDA is the building
The dwelling itself — accessible, robust or high physical support. Paid to the property owner, with a rent contribution from you.
SIL is the staffing
The people who support you inside that home, quoted through a Roster of Care. Assessed separately from SDA and funded from Core Supports.
About SIL — Supported Independent LivingILO is the alternative
If your barrier is the arrangement rather than the building, ILO designs something individual — living alone, with a friend, or with a host.
About ILO — Individual Living OptionsUnsure whether you would be eligible? Ask us — we will tell you what the assessment usually looks for.
Common questions
SDA questions, answered plainly
A small proportion of participants — broadly those with extreme functional impairment or very high support needs, where no other housing option works. The NDIA will also consider whether home modifications would solve the problem instead. An occupational therapist’s housing assessment is usually central to the decision.
Yes. You pay a Reasonable Rent Contribution, generally around 25 per cent of the Disability Support Pension plus any Commonwealth Rent Assistance. The NDIS payment covers the specialist housing costs above that; your contribution covers the ordinary cost of having somewhere to live.
No. SDA funds the dwelling only. Support inside it is funded separately, usually through SIL, and the two are assessed independently — it is entirely possible to be approved for one and not the other.
No, and there are good reasons to think about it carefully. Separating the landlord from the support provider means a problem with one does not automatically threaten the other. We are happy to work alongside a different SDA provider, or to support you in a home we are not connected to.
You have the same tenancy rights as anyone else, set out in your SDA residency agreement. Moving on is normal — needs change, households change. Your SDA funding follows you rather than belonging to a particular building.
Honestly, it varies a great deal — by design category, location and how specific your needs are. Suitable vacancies in the right category do not appear on demand. If your housing is not ready but confirmed, Medium Term Accommodation can cover the gap.
Explore more
Other services you might need
Supported Independent Living
Live independently in a shared or individual home with the support you need, day and night.
Read more about Supported Independent Living
Individual Living Options
Tailored support and flexible living arrangements, including STA and MTA.
Read more about Individual Living Options
Support Coordination
Help to understand your plan, find providers with real capacity and prepare for review.
Read more about Support CoordinationThinking about specialist housing?
Whether you already have SDA in your plan or are working out whether you would qualify, we can talk you through what the process actually involves.